Reporting Antisemism

If you are aware of antisemitism at Harvard, and you or a student want to report the issue or lodge a complaint, here are ways to proceed:

Overview

Harvard Official Process

Please lodge an official complaint in addition to going through other channels.  This will enter the complaint into Harvard’s records for greater accountability.

• Harvard Official Reporting Website:  Contact the Local Designated Resource at the appropriate Harvard school through this website
• Harvard Anonymous Reporting Hotline:  Call 1-877-694-2275 (toll-free) to speak with a live operator, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This hotline is operated by a third party and allows you to report without identifying yourself, but Harvard’s ability to investigate an anonymous report is limited.

Harvard Jewish Organization Process

• Harvard Hillel: File report through the form here, select ‘antisemitism’ in the drop-down field “I am interested in…”
• Harvard Chabad: Email Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi or call (617) 547-6124

Off Campus Process

• Brandeis Center – Email David Dince, NY Senior Counsel or call (917) 509-1203 
• ADL – Submit report on the website here
• The Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL) – a free legal protection helpline for anyone on a college campus who has experienced antisemitism. Any student, family member, faculty, or staff member can visit the CALL website or text “CALLhelp” to 51555.
• U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights – Submit a discrimination complaint here

The Harvard Official Process: What You Need to Know

If you’ve experienced antisemitism or anti-Zionist discrimination at Harvard, you may not know where to begin — or whether what happened to you even “counts.” It does. And filing a formal complaint isn’t just about your own situation. Every complaint creates a record that Harvard is legally required to track and report. Your voice is part of holding Harvard accountable.

Two Things You Should Know Before Anything Else

You cannot be retaliated against for reporting.

Harvard policy explicitly prohibits retaliation against anyone who files a complaint, participates in an investigation, or simply comes forward to report an incident. This protection applies from the moment you reach out — not just after a formal complaint is filed. If you experience retaliation after reporting, that itself is a policy violation you can report.

Naming someone in a complaint is not doxxing.

Many students hesitate to file a formal complaint because they worry that naming the person who harassed them constitutes doxxing — publicly exposing someone’s identity in a harmful way. It does not. Filing a formal complaint through Harvard’s official process is a confidential, controlled procedure. The respondent’s name stays within the investigation. It is not shared publicly, posted online, or broadcast to anyone outside the process. Doxxing is the unauthorized, public exposure of someone’s personal information with intent to harm — the opposite of what a formal complaint does. Coming forward through official channels is the right thing to do, and Harvard’s policy is designed to protect both parties.

What Behavior is Prohibited?

Harvard’s Non-Discrimination and Anti-Bullying (NDAB) Policies protect you from conduct targeting your religion, ancestry, or national origin. That includes your identity as a Jewish or Israeli student, or your Zionist beliefs.

Harvard’s own Presidential Task Force documented that Israeli students have faced exactly these kinds of violations — describing their situation as “dire” — while Jewish students broadly have been subject to shunning, harassment, and intimidation. The following behaviors violate Harvard policy:

• Discrimination — Being treated worse than others because of who you are. Examples: being excluded from a student organization, receiving a worse grade, or being shut out of an academic opportunity because you are Jewish, Israeli, or pro-Israel.
• Discriminatory Harassment — Unwelcome conduct severe or pervasive enough to make your education significantly harder. Examples: being targeted with hostile comments, subjected to repeated social shunning, or facing an environment where you feel unsafe or unwelcome as a Jewish or Israeli student.
• Bullying — Being humiliated, intimidated, or isolated — including online. Examples: derogatory remarks, deliberate public shaming, spreading false or misleading information about you, sharing your personal information without your consent, or being excluded from groups in a way designed to harm you.

When does Speech Cross the Line?

This is the hardest question, and Harvard’s policies don’t give you a simple answer. Here is a practical framework.

Speech is generally protected at Harvard — including speech you strongly disagree with or find deeply offensive. A professor or student expressing a political opinion about Israel, even a harsh one, is not automatically a policy violation.

Speech becomes a potential policy violation when it:

• Targets you personally because of your Jewish identity, Israeli nationality, or Zionist beliefs — rather than engaging with ideas in the abstract
• Is repeated or pervasive — a pattern of hostile comments, exclusion, or intimidation directed at you over time
• Is severe enough on its own — a single incident can qualify if it is serious enough (a direct physical threat, for example)
• Interferes with your ability to participate in Harvard’s programs and activities — if you are avoiding a class, a dining hall, or a student organization because of targeted harassment, that is relevant
• Involves threats or deliberate public exposure of your personal information intended to harm or intimidate you

If you are uncertain whether what happened crosses the line, don’t try to make that determination alone. Contact a Local Designated Resource (LDR), Harvard Hillel, or Harvard Chabad to talk it through. That conversation does not commit you to anything.

Anonymous Report vs. Formal Complaint: Know the Difference

Anonymous Report → You can report through the hotline (1-877-694-2275) without identifying yourself. Harvard can record it but often cannot investigate or take action without knowing who you are. Use this if you are not yet ready to come forward formally, but want the incident on record.

Formal Complaint → Requires your identity (which is disclosed to the respondent as part of the investigation process), but this is what triggers a real investigation, real consequences, and — critically — an official record that Harvard must account for.

We encourage you to file a formal complaint whenever you can. Harvard is required to publish an annual report on Title VI discrimination complaints. Every formal complaint you file should be counted in that report. The more complaints that are documented, the harder it becomes for Harvard to claim the problem doesn’t exist.

The Formal Complaint Process — Step by Step

Before You File: Document Everything

Start a written record now, even before you decide whether to file. Write down:

• What happened, in as much detail as you can remember
• When and where it occurred
• Who was present
• Any messages, posts, emails, or other evidence
• How it affected your ability to participate in Harvard’s academic and campus life

This documentation will strengthen any complaint you file, internally or externally. Keep copies somewhere safe and outside Harvard systems.

You Have More Than One Option — Use Them Together

Filing with Harvard doesn’t prevent you from also reporting through other channels simultaneously. Using multiple channels creates parallel accountability and strengthens the overall record.

ON CAMPUS

• Harvard Hillel — File a report here (select ‘antisemitism’ in the drop-down). Particularly useful for incidents involving campus culture and student organizations.
• Harvard Chabad — Email Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi or call (617) 547-6124. A trusted resource for pastoral support and guidance on next steps.

OFF CAMPUS

• Brandeis Center – Email David Dince, or call (917) 509-1203 for legal guidance and external advocacy support. 
• ADL – Report an incident here
• CALL (Campus Antisemitism Legal Line) – Free legal support. Visit the CALL website or text “CALLhelp” to 51555.
• U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights – A federal complaint creates an independent record and triggers federal oversight under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. File here.

Harvard’s internal process and the federal process operate independently and reinforce each other. You don’t have to choose.